Top Spy Stories of the Week

• Ugandan Government admits to illegal tapping (more)
• Turkish Government admits to illegal wiretaps (more)
• Singer Gloria Estefan says CIA tried to recruit her as a spy (more)
• Guyana - Roger Kahns' Spy Equipment Seized (more)
• UK Firms paid for spy files on workers (more)
• Finland Agrees To Let Companies Spy On Workers (more)
• Despite official ban, spyware is hot seller in China (more)
• Obama's Secret Letter to Russia Leaked (more)
• Obama's Secret Helicopter Blueprints Leaked (more)
• Demand for Predator spy planes continues (more)

Bell a phoney? Espionage or not? You decide...

Seth Shulman writes...
"My latest book, The Telephone Gambit: Chasing Alexander Graham Bell's Secret, is a nonfiction detective story. It recounts my experience, while working for a year as a science writing fellow at MIT, of stumbling upon a twisted mystery surrounding Bell's role in the invention of the telephone. Working from Bell's laboratory notebooks and his voluminous correspondence, I fell through a kind of historical trap door to becoming increasingly intrigued by the surprising story behind the invention of the telephone: a tale of romance, corruption, and unchecked ambition.

In the book, I try to capture the feel of the rich and exciting time in which Bell lived, as well as to tell my own story of chasing down clues about Bell’s life and times in rare archives and artifact collections around the world to unravel the surprising and long-hidden truth about him.

In the course of my research, I unearth a “smoking gun” that leaves little doubt that Bell furtively—and illegally—plagiarized his initial telephone design from his major competitor, Elisha Gray in his quest to secure what would become the most valuable U.S. patent ever issued. Afterwards, as Bell’s device led to the world’s largest monopoly, the American Telephone and Telegraph Company, I trace how he hid his invention’s illicit beginnings." (more)

Note: Bevis's great grandfather was not the model.

Teeny Tiny SpyCams

via the manufacturer...
"The smallest camera in the world." 1/18" Color CMOS Camera Pixel: 320 x 240 (NTSC) 240 TV Lines 2 Lux / F1.2 DC 3.3 V Dimension: 3.9 x 19 (mm) LENS: 0.96mm/F3.0 (55 Degree) Stock #: MO-R833-55 (more)

Why do we mention it?
So you know what you're up against.

Analog Cordless Phones - "Throw the bums out!"

"I do all my banking on the phone. A friend told me my cordless phone was a security risk because I have had it for quite a few years. Is she right?" T.Y., Durham

Simon Moon from This is Money replies: I put your question to First Direct, which has 1.2m customers who run their accounts by phone or online.

It pointed to a possible risk from using a non-digital cordless phone when speaking to your bank.

First Direct said: ...'In addition to ensuring that nobody nearby is listening in, customers should be aware that older generations of cordless telephones (so-called analogue cordless) are potentially susceptible to eavesdropping by someone with an appropriate receiver.

'The majority of home cordless phones sold over the past few years are digital and are far less vulnerable to eavesdropping than the older type.' (more)

Cordless Telephone Security 101
Some people are still unaware it is fairly easy to eavesdrop on the older cordless phones. Amazing. Even more amazing, however, is that conversations made with some of the new 2.4 GHz and 5.8 GHz are just as easy to intercept! These phones may say "digital" but the wireless portion of the voice channel is still FM analog transmission.

How can you tell the difference without hiring us?
Easy. Simply make a call and walk away from the base part of the phone. If you start to hear static and fading, one or both parts of the transmission path is using FM analogue modulation; an eavesdroppers delight. If your call suddenly ends, it is most likely digital modulation.

Your call ends abruptly. Are you safe? Not yet. Digital transmission is eavesdropper-resistant, not eavesdropper-proof.

Phones using the Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications (DECT), for example, use digital encryption... which can now be hacked.

Cordless phones which use Digital Spread Spectrum (DSS) modulation are very secure if the circuit was designed properly. Unfortunately, we have found a few DSS models where the manufacturer economized to the point of making the circuit unbalanced, thus making interception possible again. Most DSS cordless phones, however, provide an adequate level of security for the average user.

Still concerned?
Want to know for certain if your cordless phone is a leaker?
Have it tested.

Murray Associates has a flat fee ($99.00) evaluation program.
Your phone, cordless or hardwired (no cellular at this time), is inspected by a Murray Associates certified technical investigator, using over $120,000.00 of lab instrumentation.

Inspection Protocol:
• Open, and examine phone for bugging devices and tampering.
• Reassemble phone and discretely seal it with serial numbered security tape. This is done to detect and deter future tampering.
• Electronically test the phone using a professional telecommunications analyzer (instrument and test details here)
• Cordless phone wireless transmissions are viewed and analyzed using a Real-Time Spectrum Analyzer (instrument details here).
• Corded phones are also checked for unintended emissions.

Phones are returned with a written report, and an eavesdropping vulnerability rating. Reports detail vulnerabilities discovered and make recommendations for improving security. Turnaround time is typically one week or less. Contact Murray Associates for further details.

Corporate clients have been using this inspection service for years. They send in brand new phones for inspection and sealing, then keep them on-the-shelf as instant replacements in environments we previously secured for them!

Surveillance Court Quietly Moving

First, the workers encased the room in reinforced concrete. Then came the thick wood-and-metal doors that seal into the walls. Behind those walls they labored in secret for two years, building a courtroom, judge's chambers and clerk's offices. The only sign that they were done came recently, when biometric hand scanners and green "Restricted Access" placards were placed at the entrances.

What workers have finally completed -- or perhaps not; few really know, and none would say -- is the nation's most secure courtroom for its most secretive court. (more)

Wife Uses Wiretap to Hit Husband's Pocketbook

NM - A former Hobbs assistant junior high principal has lost an appeal of his lawsuit against the school board and others. David Castillo sued after he wasn't offered a contract for the 2004-2005 school year. He alleges the action came after his estranged wife turned over a tape which the court describes as a graphically sexual telephone conversation between him and a secretary. (more)

"There oughta be a law!"

Uganda - The government has been tapping private telephone conversations illegally, the Minister for Security, Mr Amama Mbabazi, admitted before Parliament yesterday.

Mr Mbabazi becomes the first top government official at his level to admit eavesdropping on conversations and other communication of private citizens, though the practice mainly by security agencies, has for long been known to exist.

Mr Mbabazi made the admission as he appeared before Parliament’s Information, and Communication Technology Committee to defend a draft Bill that seeks to legalise tapping private communication. (more)

SpyCam Story #520 - The Commish goes to Court

PA - A former central Pennsylvania officeholder will face trial on charges he secretly videotaped men having sex in his home. Prosecutors say ex-Cumberland County Commissioner Bruce Barclay used hidden cameras to make 176 recordings of 13 different men... Barclay is also charged with unlawfully using a computer and wiretapping. (more) (background)

Here's a plasma TV deal so hot, it's crepitus!

Scotland - Undercover cops smashed a suspected Scots drug gang - after selling the ringleaders bugged plasma screen TVs.

Drug barons were amazed by the amount of information the arresting officers seemed to have. They were then given the shock news that they had been secretly taped for months.

One police source said last night: "We knew everything they were up to. We even know how loud they fart."

The source added: "When the cops came to arrest one of the suspects, he asked them how they knew so much. The cop told them they'd been getting bugged through the telly. The TVs were top-of-the-range stuff but nobody suspected."

The news has spread like wildfire through the areas where the gang operated. (more)

Hey! Mukker! Back to school with you...
Rule #1: Shut ye mooth. Gud technique. Coulda used it for'er. But noooo... ya bragged lika bagpipe.

Nest for Spies Revived

A 125-year-old London hotel, which was used as a temporary base by the British secret service during World War I, has reopened after a £16m revamp. The Royal Horseguards Hotel is connected to Whitehall by underground passages used during the war. Guests will now be offered guided tours of the building to learn about its secret past. Also featured in the 1983 Bond film Octopussy, it now forms part of the Guoman Hotels chain. (more)

Florida - Land of Love - Husband Turns in Wife

FL - A Panama City woman learned that recording phone calls is illegal when her soon to be ex-husband turned her into the Bay County Sheriff’s Office. The couple are going through a divorce and she recorded several of his phone calls without his knowledge in hopes of using them during the proceedings, deputies wrote in an incident report. But when he learned of the recordings he told his lawyer who told him to sign a complaint against his wife. She was arrested and charged with eavesdropping (illegal interception of communications.) (source)

Florida - Land of Love - Wife Turns in Husband

FL - Detectives on Wednesday arrested a 55-year-old Jacksonville Beach man they said hid a camera in a bathroom to record video of a girl while she was naked.

According to police, John Thomas Boyd Jr. put a "nanny cam" in the bathroom of a house to film a nude juvenile. Investigators said more than 60 video clips were found on Boyd's home computer.

Boyd's wife found the video clips and contacted the Jacksonville Beach Police Department. (more)

Bugging & Wiretapping - Arizonia Law

Bugging and Recording Conversations in Arizona: Is it Legal?
Lawyers often receive inquiries about the legalities of recording phone or other conversations in Arizona. In particular, the issue frequently arises in family law cases where child custody is at issue. Related to the recording issue is the “bugging” issue.

There are a number of variables that affect the answer to the central question, whether it is legal to either record or even bug conversations. First, bugging and recording are two different issues under Arizona law, often related, but also potentially very different under the law. Second, the laws regarding bugging and recording vary significantly by jurisdiction so what is legal in one state may be illegal in another. As well, the federal law may vary from state laws.

The following is a very brief analysis of the bugging and recording law in Arizona... (more)

The Core Sweep Offer

A Quarterly Boardroom / Top Executive
Eavesdropping Detection Audit
The basic minimum for corporate security programs.

• Full Inspection - 4 times per year.
• Boardroom, A/V area and three executive offices.
(Additional areas may be added very economically.)
• Free – Wi-Fi Security & Compliance Audit included.
• Bonus – Radio-frequency test covers a much larger area at no extra charge.

"When was the last time we inspected for bugs and wiretaps?"
If you do not remember, it is time to call Murray Associates.
(more)

Wiretap Mafia (with updates)

Colombia domestic spy chief probes alleged illegal wiretapping by 'mafia' within

Colombia's new domestic spy chief said Saturday that he is probing whether agency employees have been eavesdropping on Supreme Court judges, prominent journalists and opposition leaders.

Felipe Munoz, who took over the troubled DAS domestic intelligence agency last month, was reacting to a report by Colombia's leading newsmagazine of widespread interception of phone calls and e-mail by agency officials at least through late last year.

Munoz said he was attempting to establish the existence of a "mafia network that's threatening the security of the state," at a news conference called after the report was published online. (more)

UPDATE: Colombia's General Attorney ordered on Sunday a raid on the Department of Administrative Security (DAS) headquarters in Bogota after the media reported that agency employees have been eavesdropping on Supreme Court judges, prominent journalists and opposition leaders. (more)

UPDATE: Felipe Muñoz, director of Colombia's intelligence service DAS sacked the deputy director of the service's counterintelligence department amid a growing scandal involving illegal wiretaps of judges, opposition politicians and journalists. More people are expected to be fired.

According to the Government, the mafia is behind the widespread illegal use of wiretaps and blames alleged drug lords like 'Don Mario', 'El Cuchillo' and 'El Loco Barrera' of having corrupted the service. (more)

UPDATE: Two more top deputies resigned from Colombia's domestic spy agency on Tuesday as prosecutors investigate allegations of improper eavesdropping on journalists, Supreme Court judges and opposition members... (more) Colombia has had issues in the past with wiretapping. In May 2007, the head of police intelligence and Colombia's police chief were forced to resign after an illegal interception of calls of political figures, government members, and, you guessed it, journalists... (more)

UPDATE: Colombia's President Alvaro Uribe says he was unaware of the telephone bugging activities reportedly practised by the DAS domestic intelligence service... (more)

UPDATE: Uribe fingered as heads roll in wiretap scandal
President Alvaro Uribe of Colombia has been accused of ordering his intelligence agency to engage in illegal wiretapping of opposition politicians, members of the government, judges and journalists in a scandal that has rocked Colombia’s law enforcement apparatus. (more)

UPDATE: President Alvaro Uribe said Thursday that he has ordered a halt to wiretapping by Colombia's domestic intelligence agency as the fallout from an eavesdropping scandal prompted a fourth agency official to resign.

UPDATE: DAS director Felipe Muñoz accepted the resignation of his intelligence director, Muñoz said Thursday. Fernando Tabares if the fourth high official of Colombia's intelligence agency that is forced to leave after the institution was hit by its second wiretap scandal in half a year... The DAS director acknowleged that "there are USB sticks and cd's that have some evidence stored" of the illegal wiretapping of Supreme Court magistrates, media directors and opposition politicans.

UPDATE: Colombia spyservice to be allowed wiretaps again...
Colombia President Álvaro Uribe signed a law that returns the authority to conduct wiretaps to intelligence agency DAS, lawmakers say. The DAS was relieved from that authority ten days ago after news broke the agency was illegally wiretapping political opponents, judges and journalists. (more) (background 2007)